The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-06
WILD CATS.
TREEING FIERCE FELINES IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Following the Hunt With Dogs-The
Trophy the Skin-A Country
in Which Wild Cats
Are Plentiful.
"There she is"
"DOn't fire !"


"Give the doga chance"
These and many other disconnected
sentences came from crowd of ladies
and gentlemen who, we'll mounted and
close upon a pack of eager hounds, were
pushing into thick patch of underbrush
in the center of the Arroyo Seco, dry
canyon, or river, just back of the town,
says Pasadena (Cal.) letter to the Phil
adelphia Times.
Here the gulch was we'll filed with
tall trees from whose branches there fell
in rich festoons masses of wild grape and
clematis that formed ropes that deity
caught riders beneath the chin, and so
tied up the dogs that they often became
completely fouled, and yelped and
howled in impotent rage.
The party had started half mile be-
low in the clearing and had followed up
the eager dogs that had now treed game
of some kind, and as they gathered about
the broken poplar high up in one of the
branches there appeared long, little
body clinging to the limb, while over the
side peered the ugly, expressive and de-
c;dedly feline face of the wildcat. Ex-
citemeat had been at fever pitch when
the hounds struck the trail, but now
that the animal was in full view it fairly
boiled over, even the horses appeared to
be carried away by it.
"Stand back, ladies!" shouted the
master of the hounds, who carried light
rifle, ''sometimes cat will jump for her
life, and they will scratch when they
land"
The ladies fell back little and q
youngster in the purity volunteered to
climb the tree and dislodge the common
enemy.
Handing the bride of his horse to a
rider he seized the pendent grape vine
and swung up into the tree, and few
moments later was making his way along
the branch toward the crouching cat.
She was so intently engaged looking at
the dogs that at first she did not see him,
but when he rounded the trunk she sud-
denly caught sight of the new enemy,
drew back with quick growl, glanced
this way and that, as if measuring the
chances, and, perhaps, would have
jumped, when the climber deftly struck
her from behind and down she went,
with a scream of rage, into the red
mouths below. The blood and fur flew,
for puss was game, and not few good
dogs backed out, wiping their heads and
ragged ears. But the game was up, and
it was with great difficulty that the skin
was saved for the rug, which is the
trophy of the wildcat hunt.
Hunting this short tailed feline is
feature of Southern California outdoor
sports. The deep canyons that radiate
down from the Sierra Madres form their
retreat, and that of large game in gen.
eral. As o rule, the canyons end at the
foot of the range, but the great Arroyo
Seco may be traced for ten miles from
the base of the mountains, for half of
this distance forming q river bed from
one hundred feet to one thousand yards
wide. The bed and place for the river
is here, but the water is in the summer
only represented by pool here and there
where the water reaches the surface,
while in the winter its bed, after heavy
rain, contains torrent fierce and power
ful enough to carry away houses far from
the mountains.
Having the advantage of water sup
ply, the Arroyo, unlike the rest Of the
country, is well wooded, contains lofty
poplars and live oaks, and altogether las
the appearance of park. In the center
there are thick patches of brush, and
here is the retreat of the wildcat and
mountain lion, which venture down from
the upper range, while the coyote and an
occasional bear lend variety to the sur
roundings.
After rain the hunts are organized,
as then the paw-marks are distinctly
seen and the scent fresh, and as the storm
clouds blow away from the mountain
sides and the warm sun comes out, the
bay of the hounds of some sportsman is
nearly always heard. The wildcat of
this country is large, powerful animal,
approaching the lynx, also found here, in
size and general appearance, and large
enough to inflict dangerous wounds upon
man or beast.
On one occasion the hounds came upon
q fresh scent in an extremely narrow
place in the canyon, where precipitious
rocks rose on one side and heavy brush
upon the other. The dogs rushed into
the latter, and moment later large cat
bounded into the narrow stream and be-
gan an Intellectual scramble up the rocky
sides. A bullet caught her before she
had gone thirty feet, and turning with a
snarl of rage she leaped directly into the
air, fell upon the neck of broncho, dis
mounted the rider in the melee, and be-
fore she could be dislodged tore and
lacerated the animal in fearful manner
Kittens are often seen in play to take one
another in their mouth and to scratch
with their hind feet, and it was this plan
that was adopted by the cat. She fast
ened her claws into the broncho's neck
and with her sharp hind claws ripped
and clawed until the animal was mass
of blood and lacerated flesh, then fell
among the dogs to be torn to pieces amid
a protest that showed it to be among the
gamest of animals and worthy good an
tagonist.
Ordinarily the wildcat will sneak off
when attacked and take to tree, but
where two are together they will have it
out, and when cornered will fight to the
last, and a good big one will make short
work of hound. One of the best shots
have heard of, by a plucky woman, was
made up in the mountains. The farmer
was away from home, and his wife, hear
ing a commotion out in the hen or
chicken corral, took a revolver and ran
out. 1t was q bright moonlight night,
and everything was illumined, yet she
could see nothing that looked like an
enemy. Finally she entered the corral,
and there in the corner, where 1t was
dark she cav nair of cleaning fierY